Self-leveling berth



' (No Model.) W. T. M-ILLIGAN.

Self Leveling Berth. No. 239,108. Patented March 22, I881.

UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM T. MILLIGAN, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

SELF-LEVELING BERTH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 239,108, dated March 22, 1881.

Application filed February 14, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom tt may concern:

Beit known that 1, WILLIAM T. MILL'IGAN, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Ships Berths, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, which is a side elevation, partly in section, of a ships berth embodying myinvention. I

My invention relates to that class of berths commonly called self-levelin g berths. berth A is supported at each end on a journal, B, each journal having a tongue, 0, p10- jecting from it, which is pivoted to an adjusting-support. Each support consists of two pieces, D D, jointed at F. The lower piece, 1), is hinged at its lower end to piece H, fast to the bulk-head,in such a manner as to allow the upper end of said piece to "move to and from the bulk-head. The upper piece, D, extends upward from the joint F, and its upper end is fitted to slide through a slotted roll, a, which is journaled in brackets 1) fast to the bulk-head. Between the lower pieces, D, of the supports a Wire rope or metallic rod, (Z, is stretched for the purpose of preventing the supports from spreading farther apart than the proper distance. immediately below the joint F two brackets, J, extend from the bulkhead, one on either side of each lower piece,

D, to take the strain which would otherwise fall upon the joints. Directlyabove the joint a slot, g, is cut in the way D, into which the tongue 0 on the base of the journal is fitted and secured by a pin. A metallic arm, h, projects from the journal, and is fitted with a slot,

The

k, which receives the upper end of the adjusting;support, said slot being large enough to allowa slight movement of the arm to and from the bulk-head, thus allowing a slight motion of the tongue a relatively to support D. The arrangement of parts is the same at both ends of the berth.

By my new arrangement the berth is not suspended, but a suspending-rope, m, (shown in dotted lines-,) may be attached to the journal-arm h and made to pass, as shown, over sheaves on the bulk-heads or ceiling.

The operation is as follows: If the berthbe lengthwise of the vessel, it will hang plumb on its journal while the vessel rolls, and when the vessel pitches the long axis of the berth will remain level by the motion of the joints F, that joint F which is lowered by the pitch of the vessel being moved by the weight ofjthe berth and occupant nearer the bulk-head, and the other joint F, which is recessed, moving away from the bulk-head, thereby varying the distance between hinge H and pivot of tongue 0, as required, to compensate for the motion of the vessel.

What I claim as new is 'In a self-leveling berth, the jointed supports DD, hinged at H to the bulk-heads, connected together by rod cl, and fitted at their upper ends to slide through a slotted roll, journaled in brackets fast to the bulk-heads, and supporting the journals B, on which the berth is mounted, all substantially as described.

. WM. T. MILLIGAN. Witnesses:

WM. ZITTEL, J. R. SNOW. 

